158: Tommy Newberry Part 1
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Tommy Newberry is a Wall Street Journal and New York Times best-selling author. He is the author of seven books, including the #3 New York Times bestseller, The 4:8 Principle, and the motivational classic, Success is Not an Accident both of which have been translated into multiple languages. He is the founder of The 1% Club and head coach of Tommy Newberry Coaching. This week, David sits down with Tommy for the first in a series of conversations about the practices and principles of high-achievers.
Links + Resources
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink
Three Takeaways:
Finding Clarity
Clarity, in this sense, is a process of working out who you want to become. Where do you want to go? What are your goals? High performers have a precise vision and have done the heavy work of uncovering these truths. As a result, they’re able to make fewer wrong turns in pursuit of their goals and save themselves time which is life’s most precious commodity. Clarity enables high performing people to hit their target more efficiently because they have identified the worthiness of their goals in light of their mission. Our human tendency is to stay in the status quo. We must resist this urge and inclination as well as give ourselves permission to be wrong while we’re figuring out where we’re going and what we’re doing. Getting started in finding clarity means being willing to be sloppy.
The Ability to Delay Gratification
In a microwave culture, everyone wants everything to happen now. No waiting. No slowing down. No biding of one’s time. On the contrary, high-achievers have the remarkable ability to delay gratification. These people understand that most things worth having, whether it’s building a career, getting super fit, or growing your faith, require time and effort. You must envision it, plant the seed and then make smart decisions daily that reflect this commitment. This seasoning of sorts is a process and not accomplished overnight. Whether you’re a student, athlete, or executive, high-performers insist on forgoing a short-term reward today in order to get a much bigger reward down the road tomorrow.
Motivated By a Goal
High-performers are motivated by the ultimate goal. Those that are in the middle of the pack tend to be drawn to the idea of whether or not the task ahead is enjoyable. High-performers, on the other hand, are driven by the main objective. They keep their eyes fixed on the prize. They are disciplined and willing to pay the price necessary to reach their destination. It’s important to ask yourself what’s driving you. Have you been conditioned to give up on things if the process is un-pleasurable? High-performers have trained themselves to do what they need to do when they need to do it, whether they want to do it or not.